Super Summer Meal Recipes
Continuing with the theme of summer meals and new meal ideas for the kids, we will explore some great options to encourage home-cooked meals that even the younger members of the household will enjoy - and some of the older ones can handle making on their own!
Bacon Breakfast Pizza
Prep: 15 min.
Cook: 15 min.
Servings: 8
1 tube (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust
2 T. olive oil, divided
6 lg. eggs
2 T. water
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 C. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 C. shredded cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 400°F. Unroll and press dough onto bottom and 1/2 in. up sides of a greased 15x10x1-in. pan. Prick thoroughly with a fork; brush with 1 tablespoon oil. Bake until lightly browned, 7-8 min.
Meanwhile, whisk together eggs and water. In a nonstick skillet, heat remaining 1 T. oil over medium heat. Add eggs; cook and stir just until thickened and no liquid egg remains. Spoon over crust. Sprinkle with bacon and cheeses.
Bake until cheese is melted, 5-7 min.
Fresh Strawberry Breakfast Tacos
Prep: 15 min.
Cook: 15 min.
Servings: 6
2 T. butter
6 flour tortillas (6 in.)
1/3 C. cream cheese, softened
1 T. honey
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/3 C. vanilla yogurt
1-3/4 C. quartered fresh strawberries
In a large skillet, heat 1 tsp. butter over medium-low heat. Add 1 tortilla; cook each side until light golden, 1-2 min. Transfer to wire rack. Repeat with remaining butter and tortillas.
Beat together cream cheese, honey and cinnamon; slowly mix in yogurt until blended. Spread tortillas with cream cheese mixture; top with strawberries.
Cinnamon Roll Croissants
3/4 C. milk, warm but not hot
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1 pkg. (2-1/2 tsp.) active dry yeast
1/2 C. sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
1/2 C. butter, very soft
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4-1/2 C. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
Cinnamon filling:
1/2 C. butter, softened
1 C. brown sugar
2 T. cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
Egg wash:
1 egg + 1 tbsp milk
Cream cheese frosting:
4 oz cream cheese, softened 2 T. butter, softened
1-1/4 C. powdered sugar 4 T. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, pour the yeast over the warm milk. Add 1 T. of sugar and gently stir. Let bloom for 7 min.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
Once the yeast is frothy, pour into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the rest of the sugar, sour cream, butter, eggs, vanilla, flour, and salt.
With the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed for 1 min., then allow the dough to rest for 5 min. Then mix on medium speed for 7 min., until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If it’s too sticky, add more flour, 1 T. at a time, until it pulls away. It should still be slightly sticky!
Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover and allow to rise for 30-45 min.
While the dough is rising, mix together the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla for the filling. Set aside.
Punch down the dough and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out to 20”x12” rectangle. Spread the cinnamon filling all over the surface, leaving a thin border around the edges.
Use a pizza cutter to divide the dough into 5 equal sections (4” apart) Then, cut a a straight line diagonally through each rectangle to create 10 triangles.
Take a triangle and cut a small slit in the middle of the large end, then tightly roll into a croissant shape. Repeat with remaining triangles. Place them all on the prepared baking sheets and allow to proof for 30 min. Preheat oven to 350F.
Lightly brush the tops with the egg wash and bake for 18-22 min. or until lightly golden.
Drizzle with the cream cheese frosting!
Cheddar Corn Dog Muffins
Prep: 10 min.
Cook: 15 min.
Servings: 9 muffins
1 pkg. (8-1/2 oz.) cornbread/muffin mix
2/3 C. 2% milk
1 lg. egg, lightly beaten, room temperature
5 turkey hot dogs, sliced
1/2 C. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 T. finely chopped pickled jalapeno, optional
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 9 muffin cups with foil liners or grease 9 nonstick muffin cups.
In a small bowl, combine muffin mix, milk and egg; stir in hot dogs, cheese and, if desired, jalapeno. Fill prepared cups three-fourths full.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 14-18 min. Cool 5 min. before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers.
Lunch Box Pizzas
Prep: 10 min.
Cook: 10 min.
Servings: 10
1 tube (7-1/2 z.) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (10 biscuits)
1/4 C. tomato sauce
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
10 slices pepperoni
3/4 C. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Flatten each biscuit into a 3-in. circle and press into a greased muffin cup. Combine the tomato sauce and Italian seasoning; spoon 1 tsp. into each cup. Top each with a slice of pepperoni and about 1 T. of cheese.
Bake at 425°F. until golden brown, 10-15 min. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator.
Homemade Hamburger Helper
Prep Time: 10 min.
Total Time: 35 min.
Servings: 6-8
1 lb. ground beef (90/10)
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 C. beef broth
1 (15-oz.) can tomato sauce
3/4 C. heavy cream
1 T. paprika
1 tsp. hot sauce, plus more to taste
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
12 oz. large elbow macaroni
8 oz. shredded mild cheddar cheese
1/4 lb. yellow American cheese slices, torn into small pieces
Chopped green onion or parsley, to serve
In a large Dutch oven, cook the ground beef, bacon, and onion over medium heat, stirring, until the ground beef is cooked through, the bacon is rendered, and the onion is softened, 12 to 15 min. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 min.
To the beef mixture, add the beef broth, tomato sauce, heavy cream, paprika, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Add the pasta and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente, about 8 min.
Reduce the heat to low and gradually stir in the cheeses until fully melted and creamy. Top with green onion or parsley, if you like.
Pizza Sandwiches
Prep: 10 min.
Cook: 10 min.
Servings: 4
8 slices Italian bread (3/4 inch thick)
8 slices part-skim mozzarella cheese
8 slices tomato
4 tsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
24 slices pepperoni
1/4 C. butter, softened
Pizza sauce, warmed
On four slices of bread, layer one slice of mozzarella, two slices of tomato, 1 tsp. Parmesan cheese, a dash of garlic salt and six slices pepperoni. Top with remaining mozzarella and bread. Spread outside of sandwiches with butter.
On a hot griddle, toast sandwiches until golden brown, 3-4 min. on each side. Serve with pizza sauce.
Turkey Wafflewiches
Prep: 10 min.
Cook: 5 min.
Servings: 4
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 C. whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 T. maple pancake syrup
1/4 tsp. pepper
8 slices white bread
3/4 lb. sliced deli turkey
2 T. butter, softened
In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, cranberry sauce, syrup and pepper until combined. Spread over 4 slices of bread; top with turkey and remaining bread. Spread butter over both sides of sandwiches.
Bake in a preheated waffle iron or indoor grill according to manufacturer’s directions until golden brown, 2-3 min.
Garlic Bread Pizza
Prep: 5 min.
Cook: 10 min.
Servings: 8
1 pkg. (11-1/4 oz.) frozen garlic Texas toast
1/2 C. pizza sauce
1 pkg. (3-1/2 oz.) sliced regular or turkey pepperoni
2 C. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 425°F. Place Texas toast in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake 5 min.
Spread toast with pizza sauce; top with pepperoni and cheese. Bake until cheese is melted, 4-5 min. longer.
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